Going Under
by HoneyLemon
Summary: AuronxYuna! Auron comes back to Spira alive, but there are some consenquences...like a powerful evil! **SPOILERS** (PG for occasional swearing)
1. Prologue

*****Going Under*****  
  
YunaxAuron  
  
((A/N: Characters © to Squaresoft, not me. Yeah, I said I don't like Yuna with anyone. But I got this idea, and that led to my super duper YXA obsession! Hey... I warned ya... :))  
  
Yuna reached out into nothing again. She had been standing near the Moonflow for hours now, simply watching the swirls in the water. There were tears in her eyes as she cried for the ones she lost in the final battle against Sin.  
  
Sometimes she would cry for Tidus. She had truly thought she loved him, but the longer she thought about it, the more she wondered if he had only been a confidante whom she trusted.   
"Was it love or was it trust?" Yuna whispered softly to herself. She knew Tidus had loved her, and knew she had given him a part of her, whether or not she loved him or not.  
  
She also cried for Auron. Unlike Tidus, Auron was a real person. Tidus was just a dream. The image of Yunaleska striking him down with one mighty blow stuck with her forever. She saw it in her nightmares and in her dreams. In her dreams, she was there to save him. In her nightmares, she was not.   
  
Auron had protected her father as well as he had protected her. Except he was alive, then. Auron had been dead for ten years. Unsent. Yuna wondered what it was like to be unsent. Was it possible to die again? Did he breathe air? And why did she have to send him?   
  
That was another moment that stuck with Yuna. When she sent Auron. She had wanted to stop, but he told her not to. Said it had been too long. And with that he was gone. Yuna had practically lost her mind there, but after Tidus was gone too, she didn't think she could take anymore.   
Rikku had helped her deal with what had happened, until she left to help rebuild Home. That was a month ago, and Yuna hadn't heard a thing from her since. It wasn't like her cousin to just drop out of her life like that. Rikku would have at least written a note to her by then. But nothing came, day by day. Wakka got so worried that he set off to Bikanel Island with some of the other Aurochs to help out, but they found nothing. Cid told them that she was fine, but that they couldn't see her.   
  
Plus, Lulu had been staying in a temple for a while. She was trying to "find salvation". She had lost a lot as well. Yuna knew that Lulu had a secret crush on Tidus, but refused to pursue him because of how Yuna felt.   
  
Yuna looked back up towards the sky then, and saw that it appeared the stars were dancing. It was bizarre, to see almost every star in the sky moving. They seemed to be moving in a circle, resembling the movement of a twister. Yuna reached up, and it felt as if she could grab a star with her hands, but she knew she was far away from anything she could reach.  
  
The ground shook slightly then, and for a moment, Yuna thought she had imagined it. Then, she looked towards the Moonflow. It was shooting upward. Spinning like a tornado, it began to mimic the stars' actions. Yuna felt as if the ground was pulled out from under her. She could have sworn that a leather-gloved hand pulled her up as she fell unconscious. 


	2. Chapter One

Going Under  
Chapter 2  
Celestial..Overload?  


A/N: Oh gods, I am so sorry for not updating this in forever!!! I've had this lying around for a long time, I just kept revising and revising..then I got caught up in my site...okay, enough pitiful excuses, eh? Let's get this show on the road! 

The sun was one of the brightest things Yuna had ever seen in her life when she opened her eyes and looked directly at it. Sitting up, she began to search for her staff, which was unfortunately for her, nowhere in sight. But something else was. And she didn't like it. 

"Oh boy..." Yuna mumbled, barely managing to stand before the fiend knocked her down on her back. Unarmed and pinned down, Yuna realized instantly she had no chance against the wolf. But she still wasn't giving up. After a few attempted kicks, punches, and even a bite or two, the wolf was still on top of her, but it had weakened. She knew she could at least throw it off of her, now, and was about to when she heard a familar voice. 

"Farewell." 

The wolf then went flying halfway across the grass, howling, and she felt someone wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her up. 

"Sir Auron!" she exclaimed, and attempted to hug him. 

"Yuna, there is no time. We have to get moving immediately." he said, and she sighed slightly. 

"Sir Auron, whatever happened last night caused me to lose..." she began, but watched as Auron handed her her staff. Smiling gratefully, Yuna took her weapon, and stared at him. 

"What?" he asked, and she shrugged. 

"How...how did you come back?" she asked, and he sighed, then pointed ahead. 

"I'll tell you on the way there." he said, and she sighed again. 

"Where?" she asked, but instead of recieving a spoken response from him, he just began to walk in the direction to where the Moonflow once was. Now, it was simply a dried-up riverbed...with a treasure chest inside. 

Realizing that she'd better catch up with him or he just might leave her there, she took off running after him, calling out to him, and pointing towards the treasure chest. He saw her target as well, and the two walked towards it. 

"This is it." he said, and pulled a small brown key out of his oversized coat, then stuck it inside of the lock keeping the chest closed. Yuna watched carefully as he kneeled, opened the chest, then as he pulled out a purple shawl and a small bottle of clear liquid. He then handed them to her, and she recieved the items in her outstretched arms. 

"What are these?" she asked, and he sighed. 

"One question at a time, please. I'm old." he said, and stood up. 

"Aren't you funny." she said, and he pointed to the left again. 

"Come on. As I said before, we don't have much time." he said, and the two walked quickly on the path that the Moonflow had worn into the ground. It wasn't very deep back there, but the outside walls of the path began to get taller and more narrow. 

"Sir Auron? How did you come back?" Yuna asked. 

"Celestial rebirth." he said, then looked over to see her staring at him like he had lost his mind. "To be more specific, the sight you saw last night. It was the calling out of my spirit." 

"Why you?" she asked, and he sighed. 

"Because I am the only one that knows where the monster lurks. And you and I are the only ones that could possibly defeat it." he said, and she stopped suddenly. 

"You and me?" she asked, and nodded. "Why me? I don't even summon any longer...all I have is my staff, and it's not very useful either..." 

"You'll understand later." he said, and she sighed, realizing she was not going to win. 

"All right." she said, and he chuckled slightly. "What?" she asked, curiously. 

"You took that a lot better than Tidus would have." he said, and Yuna shrugged. 

"Thank you. At least I think I should say thank you...sometimes it's not hard to deal with something better than Tidus." she said, and he looked at her, raising her good eyebrow. 

"I thought you two were..." he began, but she shook her head. 

"I thought I was in love with him...but the more I thought, I realized that it was just a form of trust...maybe it was the fact that nobody had ever cared about me...that way before." 

"I see." he said, and she noticed immediately that he...really wanted her to shut up. 'Now is not a good time to talk about her feelings.' 

_Wait...did I just read his mind?_


	3. Chapter Two

Going Under  
Chapter Two  
Celestial Chaos  


_Wait..did I just read his mind_ Yuna thought, and stopped walking. Auron noticed her hesitation, and turned to face her just as she looked up at him. 

"Yuna, what is wrong?" he asked, and she grinned at him. 

"Looks like you finally decided to drop the formalities." she said, and he sighed. 

"I'm sorry." 

"It's quite all right, Auron." she said, and he raised an eyebrow at her. 

"Ah, I see you have decided to drop the formalities as well." he said, and she laughed. 

"Well, not quite." she said, and he looked confused. 

"How is that?" 

"I could call you Aurie-Poo or something." she said, and watched his nose crinkle in disgust. Or at least she thought she did...it was hard to tell what he did since he always wore that collar that hid at least half of his face. 

"No..thank you." he said, then realized she had not answered his question. "What is it?" 

"If I told you would you think I was crazy?" she asked, and he crossed his arms. 

"Maybe." 

"Then maybe...." she began, but he cut her off. 

"It is rather unlikely, though." he said, and she nodded, then gripped her staff with both hands. 

"I..I think I have some strange psychic abilities." she said, and he chuckled. 

"I wouldn't be surprised. Braska-your father-had them as well. But I don't think yours are as strong as his were...at least not yet." he said, and she sighed in relief. Then appeared to be befuddled. 

"All right..but what was so funny?" she asked, and he shrugged. 

"I was afraid you were going to tell me you were in love with me." he said, then laughed. "I'm...rather relieved." he said, and she nodded. As soon as he turned his back and began to walk ahead her cheeks turned a deep red. 

_It's just a crush, Yuna. You'll get over it. This is AURON, remember?_

Or at least that was what she kept telling herself as she followed him. 

Maybe one day she'd believe it. 


	4. Chapter Three

Going Under  
Chapter Three  
Celestial Reaper  


"You never answered my question." Yuna said as they sat near the small fire Auron had made a few moments earlier. 

"Which one?" he asked, and she sighed. 

"How..how did you come back?" she asked, and it was his turn to sigh. 

"It's a very long story." he said, and she shrugged. 

"It's allright. Just tell me." 

"Last night...when you saw the Reaper feed..." he began, but she interrupted him. 

"What's a reaper?" she asked. 

"The Reaper is a creature that needs souls to survive. You saw it feeding last night when the Moonflow dissapeared. For some reason, though, it couldn't take mine, which simply returned to my body. It's next stop must be the Farplane...we have to reach it before the Reaper does. Otherwise it will become indestructible." he said, and looked over to see Yuna's eyes widened. 

"Ahhhh..." she began, but he stopped her from speaking as he placed her hand on her shoulder. 

"Yuna, are you allright?" he asked, and she nodded quickly. 

"I'm...I'm fine. Just a little...cold." she said, and he quickly reached into his oversized coat where he had placed the items they found earlier and pulled out the purple shawl, then handed it to Yuna. 

"Put this on." he said, and she complied with his request, wrapping it tightly around her. 

"Thank you." she said, and he nodded. 

"There is something you want to ask me." he said, and she shook her head like a dog out of water.

"How do you know?" she asked, and he chuckled. 

"That wasn't your question." he said, and she shrugged. 

"I want to know now." she said, and he nodded. 

"I bet you do." he said, and was probably smiling under that damn collar he always wore. 

"I do." she said, and he shrugged. 

"That does not mean I'm going to tell you." he said, and Yuna felt a stab of annoyance at the remark. 

"Auron..." she began, but he cut her off. 

"Someday you'll understand." he said, and her face turned blood red. 

"What do you mean, 'someday'? I want to understand now! Everyone treats me like I'm a child, but I'm not!" she yelled, then glared at him for a few moments. 

"I know you're not a child, Yuna." he said, and sighed audibly. "But sometimes you can behave like one." 

"Excuse me?" Yuna asked, clearly angry. 

"Now, for an example. You're behaving like a small child, throwing a fit because you want me to tell you something that you don't understand." 

"I think I deserve to understand!" she snapped, and Auron seemed unmoved. 

"Small children think they deserve to understand as well." he said, and she stood up, grabbed her staff, and stormed away from the fire. "Yuna? Small children stomp off..." 

" I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT SMALL CHILDREN!" she roared, and continued to storm off. Auron was shocked at her reactions, but refused to allow himself to show it. Reaching for his Masamune, Auron stood up to follow her, mumbling slightly under his breath. 

".....women...." 


	5. Chapter Four

Going Under  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Show Me Love  
  
A/N: Thanks to all you rockin reviewers...it's because of you I even bother! Thanks again!  
  
cool-kitsune: I'm continuing! P.S. I love your name...it's neato!  
  
Dark Evenstar: I'm glad I made you laugh! Thanks for the review!  
  
Wordless child: You're right...there aren't nearly enough Yuron's out there!  
  
Fayte: I'm trying on the longer chapter thing...it's not one of my strengths though, but I'm tryin!  
  
Sabrina: Wow..I'm glad there are some other YxA fans out there.  
  
RPG-Adam: You rock dude! Thanks for the review!  
  
Laerupeth: Sorry...I did take forever to continue.  
  
Kimara: Thanks so much! You're my first review!  
  
Now, onto the story!  
  
**~**  
  
Auron sighed loudly, but doubted if anyone heard him. Yuna was nowhere in sight, and she hadn't been since she stormed off when he called her childish. His intentions hadn't truly been to hurt her deeply, just to make her realize what she was doing. And her storming off hadn't made him think any higher of her. He had chased her, shouted her name at the top of his lungs, and tried almost anything he could possibly think of in order to find Braska's daughter, but all attempts had failed miserably.  
  
"Yuna!" he called one last time, not expecting any type of an answer. He didn't get one, either. But he had to rest for the night-it had to be at least midnight-so he slowly began to trudge back to the camp. His new so-called 'life' caused him to feel some things he wasn't usually accustomed to, such as being tired. His Masamune had to weigh at least another ten pounds, but he had carried it on his back for years. Why was it so different now?  
  
When he finally reached the small campsite they had created, he was more than a little surprised to find Yuna seated there, wrapped tightly in the purple cloak she had taken to wearing since he had given it to her. It was his to give, and he couldn't think of anyone better to hand it off to. So it now belonged to her.  
  
"Sir Auron." she said, simply, and Auron smirked. However, it was hidden under his huge collar.  
  
"Lady Yuna." he said, and she sighed loudly, then looked up at him, her different colored eyes almost catching him off guard for an instant. She had the ability to do such things whenever she wanted, but most times she surprised him it was unintentional.   
  
"Why did you follow me?" she asked, and Auron sighed.  
  
"I was...concerned." he said, and she crossed her arms and hugged herself slightly.  
  
"You chase me off then follow me?" she asked, and Auron was surprised yet again at Yuna's behavior, something he was not accustomed to.  
  
"My intention was not to chase you off. It was to make you realize how silly you were behaving." he said, and Yuna stood up.  
  
"Silly?" she asked, and Auron looked away from her.  
  
"You're constantly behaving similar to how a small child would Yuna. And I know that is not how you normally act. There is something going on-something that I'm not aware of-and I truly wish you would-as Tidus says-'clue me in'."   
  
Yuna laughed. "Tidus does say that a lot."   
  
"Too much." Auron said, and Yuna chuckled a little more. Then her face suddenly became somber.  
  
"This may be out of line...but...could you please take off your collar? I don't believe I've ever seen your whole face." she said, and with one swift movement of his hand, the collar was off.  
  
"Better?" he asked, and Yuna nodded. "One more thing." he said, also removing his sunglasses. Yuna smiled, then, and was obviously a little surprised that he had been so willing to remove the items he had. Either that or she was surprised at his features. More than likely it wasn't the latter. Unless it was the scar.  
  
"Auron..." she began, then stood, sighing.  
  
"Yes?" he asked, and she walked over to him.  
  
"Yunaleska did that to you?" she asked, and he nodded. Yuna sniffled slightly, then, and Auron raised his good eyebrow.  
  
"You're crying." he said, and before she could say another word, he was holding her, not as a lover, but as a protector.   
  
"Auron..." she said into his chest plate, then heard him grunt, more than likely his response. "Does it...still hurt? I know that's probably a stupid question, but...still."   
  
"Sometimes it does." he said, then heard Yuna sniffle a little louder.  
  
"Oh...I don't know what to say..." she said, and he hugged her a little tighter.  
  
"Yuna, everyone has scars. Some are just more visible than others." he said, and Yuna nodded, then looked up into his eyes.  
  
"Yes." she said, then looked away.  
  
"What is it?" he asked, and she sighed.  
  
"I've never told this to anyone before. But...when my dad left, my mom kind of spiraled out of control. She drowned in the port...but I think she might've killed herself." Yuna said, and felt Auron hold her a little tighter.  
  
"Yuna...I am sorry to hear that..." he said, then felt her squeeze him a little.  
  
"It's all right. It was almost five years ago." she said, then looked back at him. "Auron?"   
  
"Yes." he said, and looked down at her. She sighed, then pulled away.  
  
"I can't...I just can't..." 


	6. Interlude One

**TRAPT**-_"Still Frame"_

Please help me 'cause I'm breaking down,  
this picture's frozen and I can't get out (of here)   
Believe me, I'm just as lost as you   


And every time I think I've finally made it  
I learn I'm farther away than I've ever been before   
I see the clock and it's ticking away, and the hourglass empty  
What the fuck do I have to say  


Please help me 'cause I'm breaking down,  
this picture's frozen and I can't get out (of here)   
Believe me, I'm just as lost as you  


Keep it inside the image portrayed  
As if I couldn't stand losing as if I couldn't be saved, no way  
A small confession I think I'm starting to lose it  
I think I'm drifting away from the people I really need  
A small reflection on when we were younger  
We had it all figured 'cause we had everything covered  
Now we're older it's getting harder to see  
  
What this future will hold for us, what the fuck are we going to be?  


Please help me 'cause I'm breaking down,   
this picture's frozen and I can't get out (of here)   
Believe me, I'm just as lost as you  


I'm afraid I'm falling farther away (from where I want to be) 

Please help me 'cause I'm breaking down,   
this picture's frozen and I can't get out (of here)   
Believe me, I'm just as lost as you  


_In case you didn't see up there, this song is © to TRAPT. (And that dot-looking thing is a (C) sign) Not to me. I just like it...and think it fits well here. Okay? Okay. _


	7. Chapter Five

Going Under   
Chapter Five   
Celestial Failure   


Yuna had turned away from him, now, and was focusing on the fire that danced before them. Sighing, Auron sat down on a rock near it, and, with a sigh, threw a couple more pieces of wood on it. Yuna stepped around it, then, and took a seat near him. He resisted an urge to wrap an arm around her, simply turning his own attention to the fire. 

"Good night, Auron." Yuna said, causing Auron to turn towards her. 

"Good night, Yuna." he said, and then, as a second thought, removed his coat and covered her with it after she began to sleep. In desperate need of sleep himself, he slumped against the rock, falling into a deep slumber. 

*!* 

"Auron?" a voice called to him. A voice he recognized. A voice that belonged to Yuna. 

"Hrmphmmf." Auron responded, opening his good eye to her. She was kneeling beside him, her face inches away from his own. Once he awakened, however, she backed away and sat back on her heels. 

"Ah. I see." she said, and smiled a little. He half-smiled back. 

"We need food." he said, then began to stand up. "I'll go find something." 

"Are you sure? I can help..." she said, and Auron shook his head. 

"Stay here, in case something or someone attempts to raid the area." he said, and she nodded. 

"All right. But be careful." she said, and he nodded. He came back in about fifteen minutes with some kind of a plant, and something that vaguely resembled a fish. 

"Did you know there was a lake over to the right of here?" he asked, and she shook her head as he sat down, then stuck a stick through the fish, which caused Yuna to flinch slightly. 

"Sorry." she said, noticing the look of annoyance he was giving her. She shrugged slightly, then smiled a little. "I've been meaning to ask you for a long time...what exactly is in that jug you carry?" 

"How long has it been since the Final Summoning, Yuna?" he asked, and she reached for the plant. 

"About four years." she said, and he nodded, then unscrewed the top and handed it to her. She put the opening to her lips, then spit it out rather quickly, a look of pure disgust on her face. He obviously thought her behaviour was amusing, considering he began to laugh. Auron...laughing? 

"Not a taste for sake, Lady Yuna?" he asked, and Yuna shook her head like a dog out of water. He chuckled some more, then, and she handed the jug back to him. 

"Yuck." she said, and he screwed the lid back on. 

"You had better get used to it, unless you enjoy drinking lake water." he said, and she smiled. 

"Bring on the lake water." she said, and stood up. 

"Going so soon?" he asked, and she nodded. 

"I have to get that taste out of my mouth. That, and that fish is making me want to...no other way to put this...gag." she said, and he smiled at her. 

Yuna began to walk in the direction he had pointed in when he first returned, and it didn't take her long to find the small lake. She could see her reflection in the lake, and chuckled slightly at her appearance. 

_Once Lady Yuna fixes her hair, we leave!_

Yuna sighed, then, and after a few seconds of consideration, stuck her head in the water. She sat up, then, and looked down at her reflection, which was heavily distorted by ripples formed from the water droplets falling from her hair. She laughed a little, then, and stuck her hand in the water, then brought it up to her mouth, drinking a little. It wasn't half bad. 

She followed her previous action, then, and drank until she was no longer thirsty (which was quite a while) and began to stand up. She got halfway up before the wolf knocked her into the water. 


End file.
